Miyu Yamashita holds off Yan Liu to defend her LPGA Maybank Championship title

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Miyu Yamashita successfully defended her title at the LPGA Tour’s Maybank Championship on Sunday, beating China’s Yan Liu by two strokes.The 2025 Women’s British Open winner and third-round leader had a 72-hole total of 22-under 266 after a final round 68 on the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club course. She won last year’s Malaysian tournament after a three-way playoff.The Japanese golfer had five birdies Sunday, for just the one bogey at the par-4 9th, in a near perfect week where she led from Friday's second round until the final hole.It was the 25-year-old's fifth career title and second in the LPGA Tour this season after she took a wire-to-wire, nine-stroke victory in the CPKC Women’s Open at Royal Mayfair in Edmonton, Alberta in August.On the back of Saturday's 63 to surge into contention, Yan kept in touch throughout the final round as she also shot a 68, but couldn't quite close the gap to the nerveless Yamashita and finished at 18-under 268.Paulin